In Chicago to support a show at the City Winery, Dave opened his visit by playing an acoustic version of the song “Strangers” from Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. He then took questions from morning personality Dave Fogel and the small crowd of lucky fans who got to witness the performance.

Davies talked about a range of topics, including Van Halen’s cover of “You Really Got Me.”

“It’s really good,” he said, after joking he’d written about how horrible it was on a Van Halen blog. “I don’t think it’s as good as the original. But it’s good anyway.”

Davies also talked about his relationship with Mick Avory, who played drums for The Kinks from 1964 to 1984. According to rumors, they’d never gotten along. Davies dodged those rumors, replying, “We got along really well… They never seem to write about people being friends.”

Davies also dispelled the idea that the big bands in the 60s — The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who — were fiercely competitive. “I know that John Lennon was a big Kinks fan,” he said, explaining, “There was a healthy competition.”

Who else was a big fan? The Who guitarist Pete Townshend apparently. “You couldn’t tell him [Pete Townshend] too much,” Davies said, “or else he’d make a couple of albums.”

Davies also talked about his current tour, the documentary he’s working on with his son, along with music projects old and new.